1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector locking construction in which a slide member, having elastic retaining projections, is mounted on a female connector housing, and by operating or moving the slide member, the locking of-a mutually-fitted condition of the two (female and male) connector housings, as well as the cancellation of the locking, can be effected.
2. Related Art
In a conventional construction for connecting a male connector 1, connected to a wire harness, to a female connector 5 connected to an equipment, a lock arm 3 is formed integrally on a male connector housing 2 made of a synthetic resin, and an engagement projection 7 for the lock arm 3 is formed integrally on a female connector housing 6, and the fitting connection between the two connectors 1 and 5 is locked by the lock arm 3 and the engagement projection 7.
Particularly, the equipment-side female connector housing 6 need to have thermal resistance, and therefore when a heat-resistant resin is used, the lock arm 3 of high elasticity, in many cases, can not be formed integrally on the female connector housing. Another problem, encountered when the lock arm 3 is formed on the equipment-side female connector housing 6, is that its operability, obtained when canceling the locked condition, is poor.
For these reasons, the lock arm 3, including a cancellation operation portion 4, has been formed on the wire harness-side male connector 1.
In the above conventional construction, however, the lock arm 3 projects from the male connector housing 2, and therefore the male connector 1 has an increased size, so that the whole of the connector is increased in size, and besides since the lock arm 3 is liable to interfere with other member, there is a possibility that the locked condition is accidentally canceled.